pool

KJ5D2546-FrameShopDay One – 11/9/15, they leveled the pool deck, framed the pool and outdoor kitchen.KJ5D2547-FrameShop KJ5D2548-FrameShop KJ5D2551-FrameShop KJ5D2552-FrameShop KJ5D2554-FrameShopDay Two must have been a rest day as no work was done other than temporary routing the downspouts away from the holes since there was rain in the forecast.KJ5D2570-FrameShopDay Three:  Rebar and all plumbing, hopefully all inspections tomorrow and Gunite on Friday.

Outdoor Kitchen framed and rebar.  This is the footing that the bar and kitchen will be built on.KJ5D2560-FrameShop Shows how deep and the tall rebar will be bent over and tied into the pool deck.  It is all wired together and grounded for safety.KJ5D2566-FrameShopWorking on the pool drain, standing next to the waterfall.KJ5D2571-FrameShopDay 4: nothing happened

Day 5: Both gas lines were thrench in  One for the pool heater, one for the outdoor grill.KJ5D2575-FrameShop KJ5D2587-FrameShopPretty cool how they leave pressure gauges on each run until it passes inspections for NO leaks.  They did the same thing with the pool plumbings.KJ5D2589-FrameShop Day 6 rain:

Day 7 major Storm.  It was still dark when I left for work, so a neighbor snapped off some photos while I was at work.  I am guessing a good two feet of water.Photo Nov 17, 9 08 52 AM Photo Nov 17, 9 09 08 AM Photo Nov 17, 9 09 19 AM Photo Nov 17, 9 09 37 AM4:30 PM same day after work, they had the hole pretty much pumped dry, some slight cave in, but will be cleaned up by hand tomorrow.  The plan is inspection #2, then gunite maybe Thursday or Friday.KJ5D2593-FrameShopDay 9 11/18/15  Let the manual hand clean-up of the cave in begin.KJ5D2604-FrameShopShows just had deep and wide the cave in was.  Good news the Gunite is 2 foot thick over there. 🙂KJ5D2623-FrameShopDay 16 11/25/15 – Gunite Day!  The gunite comes off the material truck dry and they mixed at the nozzle with water.KJ5D2626-FrameShop KJ5D2636-FrameShopThen the finish guys cut, trowel level the shell out.KJ5D2640-FrameShopThey had some pretty cool special tools, giant knife to cut the gunite.KJ5D2659-FrameShopThe entry steps and benchKJ5D2668-FrameShopCovering up the last of the rebar frame.  4 and 1/2 trucks.KJ5D2677-FrameShop KJ5D2683-FrameShopShooting the footing for the kitchen and the retaining wall.KJ5D2688-FrameShopEquipment padKJ5D2693-FrameShopClean-up crew comes back in a couple days to take the forms off and to pick up trash.KJ5D2695-FrameShopI think it is looking really good!KJ5D2697-FrameShop KJ5D2698-FrameShop KJ5D2700-FrameShop KJ5D2705-FrameShopDay 17 11/26/15, Thanksgiving Day.  I get to water down the gunite twice a day for the next Seven days.File Nov 28, 8 09 25 PMDay 18 11/27/15 – rained all day, no watering needed.KJ5D2706-FrameShopDay 19 11/28/15 – Stormed all day, no watering needed.KJ5D2707-FrameShopDay 24 12/1/15 – Tile and Equipment.

Trenching in and hooking up all the pool plumbing.File Dec 06, 7 14 18 PM Setting the EquipmentFile Dec 06, 7 14 51 PM Backfilling the plumbingFile Dec 06, 7 15 21 PMThen they put a level fiberboard everywhere the title goes and leveled and squared out the pool wall.KJ5D2714-FrameShop Hooked up all the plumbing to the equipment.KJ5D2720-FrameShop KJ5D2727-FrameShop Sitting and leveling the pool tilesKJ5D2744-FrameShop

Day 29 12/7/15 – The Oklahoma Flagstone was dropped off.KJ5D2767-FrameShop

Day 30 12/8/15 – Setting the pool coping (Oklahoma Flagstone).

The kitchen is taking shapeKJ5D2782-FrameShop KJ5D2783-FrameShop The pool coping is made out of hand cut / shaped Oklahoma FlagstoneKJ5D2792-FrameShopI am really digging the color choices we picked out.KJ5D2797-FrameShop

Day 31 12/9/15 – Adding stone to the Kitchen.

I am really digging the stone pattern to match the stone work on the house.KJ5D2812-FrameShop Boring under the driveway.  They have to tie the drain lines into the city storm sewer.KJ5D2822-FrameShop

Day 37 12/14/15 – Starting to set the boulders for the waterfall and water features.KJ5D2907-FrameShopSetting each boulder by hand, some weighing as much 400 pounds.  The first layer of boulders is about 16 to 18 inches.  The waterfall will be 48 inches, so about 1/3 done with the boulders.KJ5D2908-FrameShop Closeup of the tile and the Oklahoma Flagstone coping.KJ5D2910-FrameShop Had my mud boots on and I have been missing shoveling snow, so I scoped some mud while they had the rain water pumped down.KJ5D2917-FrameShop The boulder wall is really starting to take shape.KJ5D2919-FrameShop

Day 41 12/18/15 – The table rock waterfall rock was delivered and set.

The 8 X 8 cedar post were sit.KJ5D2944-FrameShop

The said the table rock was more than One TON!  (2,000 lbs)KJ5D2949-FrameShop KJ5D2963-FrameShop KJ5D2971-FrameShop KJ5D2977-FrameShopDay 46 12/24/15 Counter tops 

Cutting the countertops.  I went with Chocolate Leuders slabs.KJ5D2983-FrameShopThe right side weeping wall is done.KJ5D2990-FrameShopCounter top is looking awesome.  I thought I would be first to dance on it, but the masons were already standing on it as the notch in the outlets.KJ5D2993-FrameShopDay 66 01/12/16 Pool Deck Fill

Between Christmas and New Years not much work was done, then we we got back home from Christmas break of course 3 days of rain.  We are getting close.

Front of the finished Bar side of the kitchen.  Digging the hand chiseled supports!KJ5D3034-FrameShopWaterfall and both weeping walls on either side of the falls done.KJ5D3036-FrameShop KJ5D3037-FrameShopThey dumped 10 tons of road pack crushed rock, laid down a three inch layer then machine tamp and level.  They said 3 loads of gravel and one more load of sand before the walnut Travertine pavers /tiles will be laid.KJ5D3045-FrameShop

Day 69 01/15/16 Pool Decking

On top of the 8″ of road pack went 3 to 5 inches of sand and vibrated smooth with this machine.KJ5D3065-FrameShop There are 6 drains in the pool deck and the deck has a slight slope into each drain.KJ5D3071-FrameShop Each paver is then trimmed in around the edges of the house and the outdoor kitchen.  Looked scary, but these guys knew what they were doing.KJ5D3075-FrameShop What do you think?  Hoping the pool deck is big enough for parties and Happy Hours!KJ5D3080-FrameShop They used a piece of flexible sprinkler line to hand draw the arcs and curve to match the pool for the landscaping and flowerbeds.KJ5D3082-FrameShopFinal herringbone patternKJ5D3084-FrameShop

Day 87 02/02/16 Final Pool cleanup and backfill and final gradeFile Feb 04, 6 56 40 PM-FrameShopKitchen is Done!KJ5D3108-FrameShopSharon couldn’t wait anymore and the patio furniture made it out of the garage.KJ5D3104-FrameShop KJ5D3109-FrameShop

Day 96 02/11/16 Pebble Tech!

KJ5D3123-FrameShop

They made a really cool rope web over the pool to hang their tools on and to keep the hoses out of the finished Pebble Tech.  The walked on boots with steel golf spikes to not leave footprints.KJ5D3127-FrameShop

Then after the Pebble Tech was sprayed on, it was hand finished with trowels.  KJ5D3129-FrameShop I was gone for 11 days on a work trip during which time the acid washed the Pebble Tech and filled the pool.  The acid wash really brought out the colored pebbles in the Pebble Tech! Our final color palette.

File Feb 26, 6 35 54 PM-FrameShop

Day 108 02/23/16 Landscaping Starts 

The Texas Windmill Palms arrived.  The featured palm is over 15 feet tall.File Feb 26, 6 58 12 PM-FrameShop

All plants are planted and the waterfall is on.KJ5D3246-FrameShop

My Neighbor got a new drone and he took some ariel photos for me.

I think all we have left is some more landscape rock, 4 Red Honeysuckles when they come in and couple pallets of sod to fix the yard.

I’ll photograph the finished project once the landscaping is finished.

Album of pool construction:

no images were found

A look back at how different the Illinois pool was put in: Illinois Pool Construction